“If I could do it all over again, I would have gone to the emergency room sooner, at a different hospital, so that the doctors could have run the proper tests.

“Always be your own advocate, it’s the only way.”

While Jessica’s world was collapsing she felt very much in the dark about what was going to follow.

She said: “It was so difficult as nobody really told me what was going to happen. I was so sick I didn’t know what to do. My hair was falling out in clumps, it made me sick to my stomach - it’s traumatic.

“That drove me over the edge. Emotionally I couldn’t do it.

“I had to find all these books to tell me what was going to happen.”

Monica Molina / Caters News
Jessica DeCristofaro

Jessica made friends with her nurses who gave her tips and tricks to make the process easier, such as dealing with the nausea.

She is now relaying this information in her book and blog to help other cancer patients.

She said: “I had to take leave of absence from work because the chemo means I can’t be around people in case they make me ill, as my white blood count is low.

“That’s been tough for me, because I was so career-driven and at the top of my career.

“I created the blog and Instagram to get through the process.

“I named my blog Lymphoma Barbie, because all of the nurses at my cancer centre call me a Barbie doll, since I refused to let cancer get the best of me, and still put my make-up and wig on every day.

“I’ve met so many people going through the same thing and have so many people writing to me every day. It saved me.”

As she nears the end of her treatment Jessica is optimistic about the future.

She said: “I have a feeling it’s all gone. You learn to know about your body.

“I’m not the same person I was six months ago. I care about different things and my attitude has completely changed. I embrace life more.

“After this is over I want to continue writing and help educate people.